Spousal Support (Alimony) Basics Spousal Support (Alimony) Basics When a married couple gets a divorce, the court may award alimony or spousal support to one of the former spouses, based either on an agreement between the couple or a decision by the court itself.
Damaged liver cells lose their ability to make protein. But previously produced protein may stay in the blood for 12 to 18 days, so it takes about 2 weeks for damage to the liver to show up as decreased serum protein levels. The liver's ability to make protein may be used to predict the course of certain liver diseases.
If a large amount of protein is detected on a urinalysis and/or if the protein persists in repeated tests, a 24-hour urine protein test may be used as a follow-up test. Since the dipstick primarily measures albumin, the 24-hour urine protein test also may be ordered if a healthcare practitioner suspects that proteins other than albumin are being released into the urine.